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About Katherine Sas

I graduated from Messiah College in 2009 with a B.A. in English Literature. I'm a student of all things arts and humanities, in particular Tolkien, the Inklings, and the fantastic and imaginative tradition in storytelling.
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12 thoughts on “Episode 42 – You Don’t Look Like a Killer to Me”

Just to say that I am listening to and enjoying your podcast – even if I don’t tend to pop in and comment.

I had to laugh at your comments re: the American president in this episode (or is it the next one?). As an English person, I often have the same sense of minor outrage about our appearances on American TV. There is more to England than posh twits and mockneys Even Buffy is guilty is this. A line from Series 7 still makes me grind my teeth – an English character (with suitably horrific mockney accident) says she’s ‘peckish’, which is translated as ‘that’s British for ‘hungry’ by another character. Then a third character chimes in ‘and here I thought ‘hungry’ was English for ‘hungry’ (inference; aren’t those English people silly and quaint).”. Ooooh, rage! Just FYI, ‘peckish’ is English for ‘I’m a little bit hungry-ish and could manage some little nibbly things, perhaps, but nothing substantial’. I’m so tired of the English person as bad guy trope I can’t even muster the energy to roll my eyes any more. It was funny to see the boot on the other foot, for once.

Anyway. One thing I was wondering is how keen Curt actually is on Doctor Who? Sometimes I wonder. You do tend to say ‘interesting’ fairly often, whilst not sounding as if you really think it is, particularly?

I wonder if part of the problem is contrasting a series for adults/young adults (Buffy) with a series for children and adults. Although Doctor Who has many complexities, a lot of episodes have a much more straightforward premise and cannot go to the same depths of character and relationship development. It makes me sad, in a way, as I don’t think Doctor Who always comes off as well as it could by comparison. A lot of the joy of Doctor Who (for adults) is the wild speculation regarding the overarching themes, and what little hints might possibly mean. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of time for that in the podcasts – perhaps because it is a re-view, and you know what’s coming?

Thanks for listening — and commenting, even if infrequently! You bring up some great points. I’ll give a couple responses, and I suspect Kat will weigh in at some point as well.

Yes, the cross-Atlantic stereotypes can be simultaneously hilarious and maddening! Even when you recognize it happening, there’s a completely different feel when it’s YOUR official of state (or other figurehead) who is being mocked. I know exactly the scene you are referring to with regard to the word “peckish,” and I am laughing as I type this because that scene is quite funny. Sorry. :)

I’d like to think that Kat and I are at least slightly more sensitive to these sorts of things than “the average American.” We’ve both spent time in the U.K. (Kat more than I), and we are both students of language who enjoy learning about the distinctions words and their cultural impact. Granted, that doesn’t make us experts or anything, but hopefully we’ve shown we’re not COMPLETELY ignorant to such occurrences in these shows.

As for my use of the word “interesting” — it’s funny (or, perhaps, interesting…) that you should mention that, because I’ve noticed that I use that word a lot as well. However, I don’t think I would use that word if I didn’t find a particular idea actually interesting. I tend to mull things over, so perhaps what you’re hearing is my chagrin at the necessity of having to keep the conversation rolling, without having enough time to fully consider an idea, rather than a lack of interest.

I absolutely, unequivocally DO like Doctor Who (and my kids do now, as well!), and Kat will attest that I frequently text her with my comments and questions whenever I watch a new episode. For the record, by and large I do NOT know what’s coming in Doctor Who, and I have worked very hard to remain ignorant of major developments. Obviously, some things are unavoidable — for example, I know at some point David Tennant will no longer be the Doctor, but not when exactly that will happen, and I know who plays River Song, but I have no idea what import that character has, only that there is import.

Anyway, back to the original point, while I do like Doctor Who, I admit that I probably am still a bigger fan of Buffy. Honestly, I doubt that will change — though I’m doing my best to keep an open mind. I suspect you may be right that my enjoyment is likely related to the difference in target demographics for each show, and the age(s) at which I discovered each one. I can say without any hesitation, however, that I think both are great shows, and if I happen to like one a little more than the other, that doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of either one.

Thanks again for listening, and feel free to comment any time. Also, if you aren’t already following us on Facebook and Twitter, we are always having conversations there as well. :)

Thanks for the reply. To be entirely honest, I am probably also more of a Buffy fan than a Doctor Who fan, especially recently (no spoilers, but I have *issues* with Moffat’s tenure and the more recent series but, in contrast, I am very much a devoted fan of all things Whedon – I even liked Dollhouse). Weirdly, though, I feel an oddly patriotic sort of pride in Doctor Who for some reason.

I’m thoroughly enjoying this trip back through the early episodes but really can’t wait until you get to certain episodes (Hush! Silence in the Library! The whole of Buffy 7, which I loved).

Thanks for the comments! Glad you’re enjoying the discussion. I totally understand where you’re both coming from in preferring Buffy, as I am probably partial to DW for much the same reasons: I came to it first; I know where the story is going. I am particularly interested in children’s stories as well, so that probably helps, although I don’t mean in any way to suggest that DW is not not also sophisticated storytelling that works on numerous levels for adults. However, I’m hugely enjoying Buffy as well, and it’s nice to have a contrasting show with slightly more (young) adult themes. Like Curtis says, it’s a difference of slight preference, not a dislike of one in favor of the other.

I’m very excited to discuss the Moffat era – I find it fascinating (if occasionally frustrating) that the camp has split between Moffat fans and Davies fans, as I like both in different ways (much as I like the various Doctors and companions in individual ways). It’s really interesting to compare their strengths and weaknesses as writers and producers, and shows how you can retell the basic archetype of this story through all sorts of filters and from all angles. And yes, I do get weekly texts from Curt with whatever bit of the new episode he found surprising or interesting (which I, of course, reciprocate re. Buffy) — my favorite being his OMG! response to the Face of Boe reveal.

You should definitely embrace your patriotic pride of Doctor Who – in fact, a lot of my favorite stories (scratch that – things) are British, so you’ve got a wealth of culture to feel proud of. I have heard of Hush and can’t wait to finally watch it (like Blink, it’s one I know by reputation). Interesting that you love Buffy 7 as I know there are mixed opinions on the later Buffy seasons – like the Moffat, era, that will be an interesting discussion. As for Silence in the Library – as of this moment, that will be next week’s recording, so we’re almost there (We’re always a few episodes ahead)! I can’t wait for that one, either. Thanks again for listening!

Well, I shall continue to be patriotically proud, then ;) It’s an uncomfortable feeling for many Brits, patriotism – we tend to find it embarrassing. Harkens back to that awful 50s jingoism and Empire and etc (or, in modern and unpleasant terms, the BNP – heaven forfend).

You do raise a very interesting (heh!) point about the serial vs. anthology and how this feeds into the relationship development. Some of the relationships in Doctor Who are indeed very deep and well realised. I adore Rose, and the Doctor and ?Rose’s relationship, but Donna and the Doctor’s relationship (which you are getting into now) is one of my favourite things on TV. It’s rare to see such two-sided open *friendship* like that portrayed,

I think relationships, without trying to be spoilery, are the root of my Moffat issues. There is no doubt that he is a genius storyteller – he wrote my personal favourite episodes (The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances) and I was so excited for his tenure. Sadly, I think he lacks skills in building and portraying relationships (and I think this shows in his other, non-Who, creations as well, except maybe Sherlock) and now that he’s run amok on his own we’ve lost the heart of Who in favour of big!drama!stories! that don’t have much emotional resonance. And don’t even get me started on my heart-breaking disappointment about River Song – there’ll be time enough for that when you get to it! I’m definitely looking forward to the Silence in the Library episode, though.

In general, though, I think this series of Doctor Who (the Doctor and Donna episodes) are the best of modern Who.

I’m slightly concerned that Hush will be over-hyped, now…:) Or The Body. Wow – what an episode!

Well, I can totally understand the hesitation, but as someone who has enjoyed the wealth of art and culture to come out of the UK I would certainly encourage you to embrace it.

I’m with you on Rose and Donna – great characters, and fantastic chemistry between both of them and the Doctor in different ways.

I’ll be fascinated to see what Curtis makes of Moffat’s tenure. I can definitely see and even sympathize with some people’s disappointment with him, but I also can get swept up in the ambition of his ideas. When push comes to shove I will say that I think Davies is better at character development, but I don’t feel that Moffat is bad at it, necessarily, and this fact doesn’t keep me from thoroughly enjoying his era. But, we’ll see how I feel when Curt and I go through it with a fine-toothed comb. The evolution of the story under Davies and Moffat is personally one of my favorite aspects of this show – I find it endlessly thought-provoking.

Series 4 is definitely great, and I’m expecting to get a lot out of our Silence in the Library discussion.

Don’t worry about over-hype — well-regarded episodes usually live up to their reputations, in my experience.

Also – forgive the scattered nature of my comments/thoughts. None of my friends share my slightly geeky taste in TV and I am not used to being able to talk about these sorts of things and put my opinions into actual words.

Also, for the record, I think DW has quite as much character and relationship complexity as Buffy. I would say that the main difference is that Buffy is an ensemble show, whereas Doctor Who is not. In other words, Buffy is the story of many characters with interweaving relationships told over 7 seasons (and beyond if you follow the comics). Inevitably that web is very tangled and complicated. In that way it’s more soap-opera-ish (I don’t mean that disparagingly – just that it’s an ongoing story characterized by interweaving relationships). In contrast, DW works more like an anthology – we spend a short amount of time going deep into a few characters before they’re switched out for new ones. The companions are obviously always coming and going, and with new regenerations the Doctor in many ways becomes a new character. Admittedly we have less time to get to know these characters than we do in Buffy. However, I feel that the relationships between the Doctor(s) and companions are often very deep, and the infinitely flexible and variable character of the Doctor is one of the most complex I’ve ever encountered. Just my two cents.